1. Technical Field
This disclosure relates to image creation processing and visualization and more particularly, to a system and method for providing digital images with a three dimensional perspective while eliminating distortions and reducing computation time.
2. Description of the Related Art
Imaging systems which record real-world images and convert then to digital format are known in the art. These imaging systems employ a camera, such as a digital camera, to digitally render an image in a format compatible for use with computers. These digitally rendered images may then be stored, transferred (e.g., over the Internet) or otherwise manipulated by known techniques.
Systems known in art also provide for perspective imaging of three dimensional images in two dimensions, (e.g., rendered on a computer display). These systems, however, are often limited and may suffer from at least some of the following disadvantages:
1. The systems are dedicated exclusively to orientating robots in a limited space;
2. The visualization by a user consists only of views with rotation and rectilinear movement in a horizontal plane;
3. Spherical images presented by the systems include distortions on the demarcation line between two of more images which are combined.
Therefore, a need exists for a system and method, which solves the problems and difficulties of the prior art and increases the capabilities of three dimensional visualization of digitally rendered images.
The creation, processing and visualization of omni-directional images system of the present invention, gathers two plane complementary images, preferably captured with a digital camera endowed with a fish-eye lens having a 180 degree FOV open angle. The system reforms the hemispherical images associated with the planar images taken by the fisheye lens, using specific laws of projection, corrects the radial and geometrical distortions as well as the color and light distortions and assembles the images into a complete spherical image, which is projected on a cube. Viewing of these images creates an impression of turning around in all the directions and of rectilinear movement in virtual space. The impression created is very similar to the human eye perception of the tri-dimensional space, and it permits continuously or a successive visualization of some three-dimensional images including specific details that a user may want to examine closer.
These and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of illustrative embodiments thereof, which is to be read in connection with the accompanying drawings.